Saturday, November 30, 2013

It’s the time of year when autumn leaves cover my garden.
Action was required to get rid of them. Therefore I took the opportunity to exercise
my body by disposing of them in the green waste bin.

While I laboured with a rake and a garden vacuum cleaner, I exercised
my mind by pondering ‘Minnow’s’ lack of a depth sounder. I have a lead and line
for taking soundings, but finding depths by this old-fashioned method is not as
convenient as by an electronic sounder. Observing a series of readings on a
digital screen requires little effort.

Focussing on the subject, I considered the possibility of
installing a NASA Marine Sting Ray sounder I have, but it lacks a power cable
and a transducer. By comparison with modern sounders, it looks old-fashioned.
Modern digital sounders are more compact, more precise, and they are easier t
read.

Nevertheless, I may install my Sting Ray if I can obtain the
missing components for only a few pounds.

Friday, November 29, 2013

The epoxy cured overnight, and this morning I sanded the
yuloh’s shaft in preparation for varnishing. I also started sanding the blade
to give it a better finish. I’ll paint the lower part of the yuloh.

Until I receive a stainless steel pivot pin from the firm that
is manufacturing it, I am reluctant to drill into the shaft to form a cavity
for the pivot cup. I shall use the pin to shape a cup in an epoxy base – that is
my plan. I’ll coat the rounded end of the pin with grease to prevent it from
sticking to the epoxy. The reciprocal pieces should fit together perfectly.

I shall have to devise a means of suspending the pin in the
epoxy so that no more than half of the ball is submerged in the epoxy. If that
were to happen I would not be able to extract the pin from the cured epoxy
without cutting into it.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Having sawn off the tip of the yuloh’s blade yesterday, I
had the will and heart to saw through the shaft today to remove a wedge from
it for the purpose of imparting curvature to the shaft. I felt pretty confident that what I
was doing was right. The shaft had to have a bend put into it to continue the
curvature from blade to handle. The whole thing now looks right - apart from the
blade, which may be a little too wide.

This adjustment allows the yuloh to nestle beside the
coachroof out of harms way on the starboard side, but I shall have to make
supports for retaining it there. The boat plans show a loop of brass tubing
adjacent to the aft end of the coachroof, and a smaller loop on the foredeck for
securing the end of the shaft.

I believe the trickiest part of modifying the yuloh to
improve its efficiency, will be adding a pivot cup.

I never liked the
idea of putting the yuloh into a rowlock, because of friction between them, resulting
in wear to the shaft. As it is, the shaft has been damaged for this very
reason. The pivot cap has to be located deep into the shaft for retaining the
yuloh. I think it’s probably better to have the hole for the cap drilled into
the shaft at an angle, so that the yuloh can be hooked onto the pivot pin. The buoyancy of the blade and lower end of the
shaft will tend to thrust the yuloh upwards; therefore a restraining line
tensioned by a bungee may be required to prevent it parting from the pin.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

On measuring ‘Minnow’s’ yuloh I discovered it was about a
foot too long, and the extra length was in the blade. Not only was the blade
too long, but it was too wide by 55 millimetres. The less width a blade has,
the faster must be the action for thrusting a boat forward at a required
speed.

Matt Layden, the designer of Paradox’s yuloh, would appear
to prefer low geared yulohs, i.e., those with narrow blades and long shafts -
presumably because less effort is required to move them through the water, but
paradoxically, more strokes are required to advance the boat the same distance
a boat powered by a higher geared yuloh would travel. If a higher
geared yuloh is stroked at the same rate as a lower geared one, the vessel
driven by the higher geared yuloh will arrive at a destination first.

I’ll keep the existing width of the blade at 148 millimetres
for a higher geared yuloh than Matt advocates. The plan shows a maximum width
of 94 millimetres. If I find that working the yuloh is too much hard work,
I can always reduce the width of the blade. Initially, I will not cap the tip
of the blade with fibreglass, because I may have to decrease the width.

If my memory serves me correctly, some people who made standard
Paradox yulohs discovered they worked better if the pivot cup was moved up the
shaft by about 70 millimetres. A better balance was obtained, and the yuloh sat
more happily on the pivot pin. In light of this, I shall place the pivot cup on
my yuloh 70 millimetres higher up the shaft than shown on the plan.

The yuloh I have inherited has a straight shaft, whereas the
plan shows a curved one. The blade itself has been set at an angle to the shaft
- rather more than depicted on the plan. In view of this, I think I shall cut
and remove a thin wedge from the shaft, and rejoin the parts by epoxying them
together.

I am giving thought as to how to make a stowage rail for the yuloh on
the starboard side deck. The plan shows a ¼ inch brass pipe in the form of a
loop. There is also a semicircular strap from the same pipe bolted to the
foredeck for securing the end of the yuloh’s shaft. I may modify a rowlock for securing the shaft to the deck.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

When Derek built ‘Minnow’ (Enuf) he placed the outboard
bracket to suit his Honda 2.3. I was able to fix my bracket in exactly the same
position with the same holes through the transom. I have an old Honda 2 HP outboard
which has similar dimensions and weight to those of Derek’s more modern engine.

I’m happy about installing the outboard, because I know it
will be very useful for moving the boat in confined spaces such as in a marina
or among closely moored boats. Tides on the East Coast where I do much of my
sailing can be strong, particularly on springs, and if I find myself in a
situation where it is imperative to make way against the current, I can resort
to the engine. I have found that when it is calm and the sea is smooth, a Honda
2.3 HP outboard can propel a Paradox at 3 plus knots with the throttle set at
less than a third of full power.

If the wind is on the nose and headway is not great, I shall
be able to motor-sail for making better progress.

Points in favour of having an engine outweigh those for not
having one. The biggest ‘snag’ of having one is ‘snagging’ of the sheet on
the engine, and if the sheet happens to become tangled in the propeller,
getting it free can be a problem. I’ve done it, but leaning over the stern and
reaching out to the prop is not for the fainthearted! You definitely do not
want to be doing this in a seaway.

I am trying to work out how best to avoid this situation.
Pete who owns ‘Johanna’ has made a kind of cage attached to his outboard to
minimize snagging, but as far as I can tell, it does not prevent the sheet from
becoming tangled in the prop. I note that he has changed the sheet leads to
come from the aft deck, instead of from the transom, and that may solve the
problem.

If anyone can make suggestions for keeping the sheet clear
of the engine, I’ll certainly take note of them.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Finally I fitted the metal socket for supporting the
Autohelm. To ensure it will stay put, I set it into epoxy within a drilled hole,
and before doing so, I cleaned the surface of the metal and abraded it for
better adhesion. I finished everything on the Autohelm supports, including the application
of three coats of varnish on all of the wooden parts.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

There comes a time in life when you know who you are, or at
least some people mature sufficiently to know who they are.

What visible traits identify you? There is something special
about identity, perhaps a characteristic that is unique. Each of us can be
identified by our finger prints, and by our DNA.

My grandchildren call me Grandad
Boat, because they know of my love of boats. They call their other grandfather,
Grandad Keyboard, because they know
of his passion for playing a keyboard.

When we are mature enough to recognize who we are by what we
stand for, and by what we do, we have become of age. We may not like what we
see, and as a result, have a midlife crisis, but that can be a positive
experience, because we can see our failings, our weaknesses and our vulnerability.
With this insight and our acceptance of the facts, we can take steps to capitalize
on our strengths, our skills and our abilities to bring a turnaround. We can
become proactive and change our lives for the better. We can be our true new
self - no more self-pity, no more childishness, and a lot less self-centredness
and self-seeking.

I can speak of these things because I have experienced them
and found them to be true.

Over the weekend I met a man who has discovered himself. He
knows his strengths; he recognizes his skills and he is putting them to good
use to earn a living. He has come of age, and is a lot happier for it. He is
living a fuller and more profitable life as a result.

John 10:10 ‘I have
come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’

1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12 ‘Make
it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and
work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the
respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.’

Saturday, November 23, 2013

I am away for the weekend, but I managed to put a second coat of varnish on the Autohelm supports before leaving. I also packed away tools and disposed of rubbish that had accumulated in the boat when making and fitting the Autohelm supports.

The Autohelm mounting socket arrived in the post this morning; therefore I shall be able to fit it into the forward support, perhaps on Monday or Tuesday.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

I have been thinking of a solution for instantly attaching
the arm of the Autohelm to the steering line, and today it suddenly dawned on
me how it could be done. I found the bits I required in my bosun’s box: a small
length of MDPE yellow gas pipe; an old cleat, two bolts and nuts; a jubilee
clip; a tiny piece of stainless rod for a fixing pin, and a small length of
cord.

The fixing pin ensures there is no forward and backward
movement of the gas pipe, and it is kept in place with the jubilee clip which
also clamps the pipe to the end of the Autohelm’s arm.

The photos show how the device was made.

Attaching it to the line is almost instantaneous. A cord is
permanently tied to the cleat and it is left hanging over the steering
line. To engage the Autohelm, simply wind the cord around the steering line and
cleat home. To ensure the steering line does not part from the cleat, make another
turn around it and cleat home.

An advantage of this system over the double cord linkage is
the immediacy of fixing and unfixing the rod to the steering line. Only one
attachment has to be made, and because the attachment is rigid, there is no play.

I think this arrangement is superior to the one I had on ‘Faith’,
but I’ll have to see what happens in practice.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

I completed the wiring for the Autohelm 800. The autopilot
can be plugged into a household three-prong socket that is wired to the ship’s
battery. The wire is thick, multifilament copper to facilitate the flow of
electricity, and I have kept it short to minimize resistance. The socket has an
on/off switch for immediate activation and deactivation. I can plug into it a multi-plug socket for
powering my mobile phone and other equipment at the same time. I shall have to
change the fuse from 13 amps to 5 amps. I may run a portable all-round white
anchor/navigation light from it.

I derived satisfaction from doing the wiring. The weather
was cold and damp, but inside ‘Minnow’s’ cabin I was snug. I ran my small blow
heater, and the inspection lamp also threw out heat.

Because one can live on a Paradox for months at a time,
George Clarke could well feature a Paradox on his Channel 4 0 D TV programme.
(George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces) Did you see Episode 1 of the 2013 series in
which he featured a floating egg made from double diagonal planking with a
layer of epoxy glass matting between? Boat builder, Paul Baker did a first-class
job building the egg.

Monday, November 18, 2013

I started building the second support for ‘Minnow’s’
Autohelm 800. Both supports will require more doing to them.The crucial part of the system will be the
link between the Autohelm and the steering line. Previously on ‘Faith’, I
joined them with cords that were permanently attached to the end of the
Autohelm’s steering arm. As yet I have not devised a better method.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Having very little time for working on ‘Minnow’ today, I was
pleased that I was able to make a start at mounting the Autohelm 800.

I partially made a wooden support for the Autohelm. This
will require a proper bronze socket for securing the device. I shall have to have
another support at the other end. My plan is for the supports to be removable
for when I am not using the Autohelm.

My biggest challenge will be designing and making an
efficient connection to the steering line. If I cannot come up with a better
solution than I had with ‘Faith’s’ setup, I’ll have to be satisfied with it.

Incidentally, I have decided to have the Autohelm on the
starboard side, with its rod pointing towards the stern.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

I’ve owned an Autohelm 800 for a good many years, and it has
seen service on several of my boats. I’m surprised the device still works after
experiencing harsh conditions - once being under seawater when ‘Sandpiper’
nearly capsized.

I’m pretty sure I set it up on the port side within the
cabin of my old Paradox. The rod pointed towards the bow. Looking at photos
posted by Glen Maxwell to the Paradox Builders Yahoo! Group’s forum, I note
that his Autopilot was mounted on the starboard side with the rod pointing towards
the stern.

I shall be doing something similar, but I’ve not decided
which side of the cabin I shall mount the Autohelm. At the moment I’m favouring
the starboard side, from where it will be wired directly to the ship’s battery.

Like Glen, I linked my Autohelm to the steering line with
cords, but that method was not really quick enough to engage, nor was it as
positive as I would have liked, because there was always a certain amount of
play. I’m trying to devise a better system.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

I finished mounting and wiring the cigarette lighter socket
for the GPS units etc.

I was very pleased with the result.

All I need to do is varnish the mount.

My next job will be fitting and wiring the Autohelm 800. The
tricky part will be linking it to the steering line. When I had ‘Faith’, I
linked the end of Autohelm’s rod to the steering line with two pieces of cord.
They were attached with rolling hitches, one forward, and the other aft. As far as I remember, the
Autohelm was mounted fore and aft on the port side with the rod towards the
bow.

That worked OK, but I
would like a quicker method of linking and unlinking the Autohelm. The ability to
release the linkage quickly is crucial: for example, if there is a risk of
collision with a nearby object.